Researchers found that stem cells found in gum tissues not only have the ability to develop in different types of stem cells but can also help fight inflammatory diseases.

Approximately 1.4 Americans suffer from inflammatory diseases with an overall health care cost of more than $1.7 billion per year, reports the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. It accounts for more than 700,000 physician visits, 100,000 hospitalizations and disability in 119,000 patients in the United States each year. Working on a solution for these diseases, researchers from Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC found that stem cells from gum tissue can provide a possible cure.

Gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSC) are found in the gingiva, or gum tissue, within the mouth. They have the ability to develop into any type of stem cell and have a significant impact on a person's immune system.

"Gingiva is very unique in our body," says Professor Songtao Shi, the study's senior author in a press statement. "It has much less inflammatory reaction and heals much faster when compared to skin."

In this new study, researchers found that GMSC found in the body are of two types. The fist one arises from the mesoderm layer of cells during embryonic development (M-GMSC) and the second type comes from cranial neural crest cells (N-GMSC). Ninety percent of the GMSCs found in the body are of the N-GMSC type, which develop into important structures of the head and face.

Both GMSCs have different abilities. The N-GMSC not only develops into different types of stem cells more easily but also possesses the ability to heal inflammatory diseases.

The effect was tested on mice. When N-GMSCs were transplanted into mice that had an inflamed condition of the colon known as dextrate sulfate sodium-induced colitis, the disease was dramatically reduced.

"We will further work on dissecting the details of the gingiva stem cells, especially their notable immunoregulatory property," says first author Xingtian Xu, specialized lab technician at the Ostrow School of Dentistry Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology. "Through the study of this unique oral tissue, we want to shed the light on the translational applications for improving skin wound healing and reducing scar formation."